To say the least, his was not the fondest of farewells, and the ensuing divorce has been quite messy. In the end, though, Carson Palmer did leave the Cincinnati Bengals and their city a little something pleasant to remember him by.

The Chargers’ helmeted heads on a platter.

More than anybody, it was Palmer who delivered the harsh new reality to a visiting San Diego team that had won four straight AFC West titles, but left Cincinnati last Dec. 26 as a champion that had lost its crown and would not be playing a postseason game for the first time since 2005.

Finger-numbing cold, icy blasts of wind, snow flurries and a top-rated Chargers defense couldn’t keep Palmer from throwing for four touchdowns in a 34-20 Bengals win that made division champions of the Kansas City Chiefs.

“It was a big game for us,” said Palmer, “an even bigger game for them.”

That was also his last victory in Cincinnati, where Palmer decided he wouldn’t return after seven seasons, notwithstanding a contract binding him to the Bengals through 2014. “Semi-retired” in Del Mar until the injury-plagued Oakland Raiders hastily arranged a high-priced trade with Cincinnati three weeks ago, Palmer’s about to make his second start Thursday night against the Chargers at Qualcomm Stadium.

The fact that only four days will have passed since both the Chargers and Raiders suffered excruciating losses might not be such a tough turnaround for Palmer, whose life has pretty much gone into hurry-up, no-huddle mode since he got the call north.

“I feel like I’ve been cramming for a final exam for about three weeks now,” he said. “It’s been a ton of info in a short amount of time and really trying to kinda weed through some teams, find out what fits me best and our team best."

Reeling from the loss of quarterback Jason Campbell to a broken collarbone after a 4-2 start, the Raiders have lost the two games in which Palmer’s played, initially as the backup to Kyle Boller. Taking over the thrice-intercepted Boller after halftime of that first game against Kansas City, Palmer also was welcomed back rudely, throwing three more interceptions .

Given the start Sunday after the bye week, Palmer was picked off three more times by the Denver Broncos, but he also threw for three touchdowns in a 38-24 loss.

“The first game was surreal, just to play five days after being signed when you’ve been out so long,” said Palmer. “The second or third series I was like, am I really playing a football game right now, trying to come back from a 21-point deficit? And then to have a couple weeks under my belt and get some reps in practice and really understand the protections and the playbook … there’s really no comparison between the first game and the second game.”

His third game will be the ninth regular-season outing for most everyone else involved. While the lockout kept all teams from their usual offseason workouts over four months, Palmer was tossing a football at Torrey Pines High and neighborhood parks, playing catch with whomever was available when his peers were in training camp and playing preseason games.